The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

I’m a skeptic

SHARON HILL is a geologist and author of the Doubtful blog about science and pseudoscience aimed at the public. She explores the intersection of science and public understanding as a student in the Science and the Public Ed.M. graduate program at the State University of New York at Buffalo (a joint initiative with the Center For Inquiry).

Though she had loved ghosts, monsters, and other paranormal stories since childhood, Sharon was fascinated when she discovered the skeptical literature. “Skeptical articles and publications left me amazed at how I could have been so credulous,” Sharon recalls. “There was more to these stories that I hadn’t been told about as a kid — not about the supernatural, but about people, their expectations, perceptions, environments, beliefs and culture.”

Today, Sharon is active within the skeptical community. She is involved in local skeptical organizing, national conferences, and online activism. “I really enjoy meeting other skeptically-minded new friends and sharing a reality-based outlook and love of science,” Sharon says.

“I’m raising my two girls as critical thinkers. I want them to appreciate science as a way of understanding nature,” explains Sharon. “I love ideas that introduce kids to critical thinking skills through topics I loved as a kid — monsters and spooky stuff.” She looks forward to personally creating new projects of that kind. “This time, kids won’t be denied the rest of the story.”

The Baloney Detection Kit Sandwich (Infographic)

For a class project, a pair of 11th grade physics students created the infographic shown below, inspired by Michael Shermer’s Baloney Detection Kit: a 16-page booklet designed to hone your critical thinking skills.